


In Another Life

by JetpackingPenguin



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, LINDA IS STILL ALIVE, idk what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 14:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18994540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetpackingPenguin/pseuds/JetpackingPenguin
Summary: *Linda Lee/Lena Luthor*Linda doesn't die. The Kryptonite weakens her, but she doesn't die and isn't absorbed by Kara. With Lex gone, she's sent to another earth in the multiverse to start a new life.





	In Another Life

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Linda isn't dead. The show botched her storyline and she deserved better. So I'm giving her a happy ending with my own bare hands. I see her fashion sense being more subdued RedK Kara, without glasses, so imagine what you will.
> 
> I have a BA in History and don't know how science or math works, so sorry if it doesn't make any sense.

“This is Earth- well, it doesn’t matter, this is a different earth. There’s no Superman or Supergirl here. Humans don’t know about aliens. You’ll have a fresh start.”

Linda just stared at her. Supergirl stood out in the muted neutral tones of her apartment like a red and blue eyesore. The aforementioned cheerleader skirt, in particular, irked the eyes. Supergirl continued to ramble, as was her way.

“You have an identity here as Linda Lee.” She presented her identification card with a flourish. “You’re a Kasnian Immigrant, and you graduated from the University of Kasnia, with a major in Biology and minor in physics, like you wanted.” 

Supergirl rested her balled hands on her hips. Linda noticed she did that when she was unsure. It was an obvious tell.

“There’s a lot to do in Metropolis. You’ll like it here.” Her eyes drifted desperately around the apartment before landing on a newspaper. “Oh look, the Lakehawks are in town...”

Kara Danvers hovered like a worried mother for days, haunting her apartment. She was stalling, unwilling to leave her alone and unsupervised. In those first few days, the Red Daughter was still weak from residual Kryptonite poisoning, but now she was healthy once again. She couldn’t remember leaving Kara Danvers’ world behind. Kara Danvers carried her through the inter-dimensional portal half-unconscious, there was no time to waste with goodbyes. Still, she regretted not seeing Lena Luthor, one last time. 

Eventually, Kara returned to her world, and Linda was glad for it. Supergirl, though not the monster she thought, reeked of self-righteousness. The pity in her eyes made her skin itch. Alex’s betrayal felt like a hole carved in her chest, but Kara’s soft-spoken pity only aggravated the wound. She didn’t want her pity. Alex was dead. Her life was now hers and hers alone. For the first few days, she struggled with what to do. Isn’t that a typical American crisis? Americans struggled with their identity, struggled to come to grips with how they fit into the cogs of capitalism. And now Linda was one of them, an immigrant of Kasnia, with no family to call her own.

Listlessly, she searched for some calling. Alex-  _ Lex _ , she corrected _ - _ sculpted her as an instrument of change. Her new goal wasn’t destruction, but improvement. It was by chance she stumbled upon Spheerical Industries and their research.

This time, Linda did her internet research. Google told her about Jack Spheer, of Spheerical Industries. His company was dedicated to cancer research and providing free medical care to all. It was a sentiment Linda admired. More humanitarian than what she’d seen in America so far.  _ Lex _ taught her much, some wrong, but his lessons on inequality and greed stuck. Despite his hypocrisy, he was right in this. 

Knowledge came quickly to Linda. Her reading speed outstripped a human, as did her memory retention. Kara said they were the same. They shared the same genes and powers, but Linda was a blank slate. Earth Science and math came easily to her. Lex called her Kryptonian, but she didn’t have memories of Krypton. She didn’t have Kryptonian running in her head, shadowing her every step. In a world where very little made sense since waking up in the Siberian wilderness, there was peace in the surety of numbers. Through science, she could help instead of hurt. When she closed her eyes at night, struggling to sleep, she saw the faces of the American politicians. She heard their heartbeats spike with fear, heard their inaudible gasps of fright, and watched the life leave their eyes after her heat vision struck them. She smelled them burning.  _ Lex manipulated you, _ Kara said. That might be true, but their blood was still on her hands. She needed atonement. With that in mind, she applied for a job with Spheerical Industries. Within days she received a call for an interview and soon a job offer.

Many things reminded her of her “Alex.” Small things, like the sight of chess boards, made her smile before the pain crept back in. Politics made her chest ache, and she turned the channel. Walking by the bookstore, she saw familiar titles and the memories, and feelings pulled at her like small hands. More often than she liked, she stumbled over the English words, as her Kasnian dialect popped into her head first.

 

\----

 

Linda meets Lena Luthor on a Monday.

It is a cold, rainy day in Metropolis, typical of the eastern seaboard in winter. It reminded her of home. She pushed those memories down, as they inevitably led back to Mikhail.

Jack Spheer himself escorted her down to the labs on her first day of work, down to where she’d be working. They passed the biometric scanners before reaching a large lab. Fluorescent lights overhead lit the cavernous space in bright white light. Mr. Spheer walked them past rows of computers and machinery, weaving around the occasional harried scientist. The room smelled faintly of disinfectant.

“Here’s where you’ll do your practical research. Sorry about the dismal view down here. We have offices with actual windows for the paperwork.”

“It is no problem,” Linda said. Her hearing alerted her to the other scientists moving around the room like white noise. The multiple voices speaking English clanged like a low gong inside her head. She didn’t pay attention to the approaching heartbeat.

“Jack. What are you doing here? Slumming it down here with the rest of us?”

Her body recognized the voice before her brain, sending her heart galloping in her chest. She knew that voice. Linda’s eyes widened, and she spun on the spot.

This Lena isn’t dressed in designer pencil skirts, high heeled, and made up. This Lena’s face is relatively free of makeup. This Lena wears a lab coat over sensible slacks and shoes. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and thick-framed glasses rest on her face. Still, Linda’s struck, like she was the first time she ever saw her, on the other Earth. All the words in the English language failed her, as her mouth fell open, and every intelligent thought left her head.

Jack Spheer and Lena continued bantering while Linda stared dumbstruck at her. Lena turned to face her, and Linda was speechless. Déjà vu hit her, reminding her of the first time she met Lena on the other Earth, but this time felt different without the shield of Kara Danvers to hide behind. Linda felt oddly exposed, without the ghastly cardigans and fake glasses acting as a buffer between them. Compulsively, she straightened her white oxford shirt and picked at her black pants for lint.

Lena smiled at her, oblivious to Linda’s unease. “And who are you exactly?” she asked. 

“I-I’m Linda. Linda Lee,” She stuttered, accent even more pronounced in her panic.

Jack clapped Lena on the shoulder cheerfully. “Linda is our newest team member.  She’ll be under you, so treat her right. Linda, this is Lena. She’s heading this project.”

“I can’t wait to be under you,” Linda stutters. Her words register and her face burns and flairs bright red. Jack snorts beside her, turning away to compose himself, but Lena doesn’t laugh. Her face is kind, without judgment over her blundering.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Linda,” she says kindly. She extended a manicured hand.

Linda carefully took it, all to aware of her superhuman strength all of a sudden. If she could sweat, she would be. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

\----

 

Linda’s apartment is much smaller than Kara Danvers’ rent controlled one. In Kasnia, she had a single room and a twin sized bed. She decorated her walls with reconnaissance: pictures of Kara and Lena, Lena, and Kara. She hadn’t known how to decorate an apartment- a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom. She memorized Kara Danvers’ apartment into her mind, and she did her best to decorate it similarly from memory.

The end product was like a grayscale imitation. She didn’t gravitate to color like Kara Danvers. The bunker formed her, sculpting her between dark grey concrete walls, and she embraced the monochromatic color scheme. The one bright spot was a painting she found in a thrift store. It was of a landscape in various shades of red. Something about it felt familiar to Linda, comforting in a way words couldn’t express, and she fixed it over her bed, where she could look at it always.

 

\----

 

Linda adapts to her job. It’s hard to make friends. Part of her felt like a skittish deer, ready to run at the first sign of danger. She was  _ Krasnaya Doch'  _ and should fear nothing, but her coworkers frightened her in unanticipated ways. They talked about movies she never saw, music she never heard, and life experiences she never lived through. She had nothing in common with these people, and soon they stopped trying to engage her.

The only person who seems to understand her is Lena. Lena is kind, even in this Earth. Linda remembers what she read in Kara Danvers’ diary, about how amazing Lena Luthor is, how kind, how brilliant, and how she could change the world. In the brief moment she met her, Linda felt that same awe, before Eve pulled her away again. In this Earth, without Eve acting as her handler, Linda could bask in Lena’s glow. It warmed her from the chest outwards.

The warmth only grows stronger, like an ember growing into a flame. When she wakes up in the morning, her first thought is of Lena. She anticipates lunch, when Lena makes the walk past her desk, smiling at her and engaging her in a conversation about work. Linda is content with this but jumps at the chance to eat lunch with Lena when asked. They spend lunch discussing different genomes and white blood cell counts. Her smile doesn’t fade for a full day.

It becomes a routine. Lena pauses on her way out the lab, carefully extended the opportunity to eat lunch together and discuss that day’s progress like she half expected Linda to decline. Each time, Linda accepts, hoping she looks and sounds cooler than she feels. The arrangement carries on for weeks. The conversations start to branch out. Whether it’s a talk about quantum physics or gastronomy, she is enamored with everything Lena says. She likes to watch Lena’s mouth form the words, hear them form and spill out of her mouth, fast when excited about something, slower when she was speaking with other technicians.

Linda is eating lunch with Lena when it happens. She’s startled by the knock at Lena’s office door, not even realizing someone was approaching. Linda is so absorbed in what Lena is saying she doesn’t have any warning. When she was with Lena, the rest of the world melted away. Her senses honed in on her, listening for the subtle changes in her voice and heartbeat for clues to what she was feeling. In their brief time together, Linda made Lena laugh. It became her favorite sound. She treasured each laughter, trying to savor the feeling or collect it to remember for rainy days. And in Metropolis, there were a lot of rainy days.

Lena frowns at the door, and Linda hears her heart rate kick up a notch. 

The door opens before she can use her x-ray vision and in walks Lex Luthor. Linda’s breath froze in her lungs.  _ Alex _ . Her mind runs through a collage of memories. The first time she met Alex. Mikhail. Seeing and touching Kara Danvers’ life and things. The corruption and greed. The White House. Fighting Supergirl. Betrayal. No, Lex. Lex Luthor. A bad man. The feelings ran, mixing like paint in a watercolor. She looked away to focus on Lena, whose heart rate spiked beside her. With her advanced sight, she saw the pulse leaping in Lena’s jugular vein. Lena’s voice didn’t waver.

“If you’re looking for a solution to hair loss, you’re too far gone,” she joked. Her smile wasn’t real; Linda recognized it from long resource meetings.

Lex smiles at Lena, but his eyes are black and unfeeling like a doll’s eyes. Now she knows what lies underneath the surface; it’s easy to see how false he is. Lex is dangerous, and she scoots her chair closer to the desk and Lena. “Is that any way to speak to your brother?” he asks. He looks contemptuously at her. “You look well.”

It’s not a compliment.

“What are you doing here, Lex? Are things slow at LuthorCorp?”

“I had business with Jack Spheer. I expected to see you at his side, like a loyal pet.”

Lena’s nostrils flared.

“Sorry to disappoint you. I’m busy doing science.” Lena crosses her arms over her body and her entire posture turned defensive. “Don’t you have a Persian cat to pet somewhere? Small children to withhold gruel from?”

Lex laughed. It didn’t reach his eyes. Lex’s beady eyes fell on Linda before passing over her. Like she didn’t matter. The hole in her chest opened back up. 

“Again: why are you here, Lex?” Lena demanded. She leans back against her chair, tilting her head back and exuding power. It makes Linda’s stomach clench.

“Would you believe me if I said I missed you?” Lex asked. Lena scoffed. He pulled out a gold pocket watch, playing with the chain and watch face. “I had time and decided to see my favorite half-sibling.” His eyes focused razor sharp on Linda suddenly. “I see you’re having lunch with the underlings. Is this appropriate for the workplace?”

Lena’s jaw clenched tight.

“Linda is my friend, a person I enjoy speaking to. I know the concept of friendship is alien to you.” 

“You were always too soft, Lena. I don’t need  _ friends, _ and neither do you. We are  _ Luthors _ . We have minions. That is why I fired you.”

“I am doing something good here, Lex. I know that’s something you can’t comprehend, but-“

“Are you implying I don’t know right from wrong?” He said, sounding amused. He swung the pocket watch again, catching it in his hand. “I’m very aware of what is right and wrong. I’m a Luthor. I don’t need to be constrained by rules.”

“Spoken like a true sociopath.”

“LuthorCorp is advancing science because of my leadership. You are wasting away in Spheer’s ivory tower, too soft to get anything done. I’ve heard your research on nanobots stalled. I’m not surprised. You are too naive, Lena. In your foolish efforts to be the ‘Good Luthor’ you are squandering your potential.”

“Lena is a great woman,” Linda interrupted. Her voice felt thick from emotion, and her accent became more noticeable. “She is good.”

“And the subordinate speaks. Lovely.”

“Don’t speak to her like that.” Lena stood up from behind her desk, radiating power. “Get out.”

Lex stands there, and Linda wonders if he’ll leave. He places the watch back in his suit pocket and tilts his head. “I have work to do. Goodbye, sister.” Lena said nothing.

The door slams closed behind him, and a stuffy silence fills his place. Linda is unsure how to break it and instead takes another bite of her chocos.

Lena fell back into her chair, looking exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Linda asked.

“Lex knows how to get under my skin. I’m sorry you had to see that.” Lena pushed away her salad, nose scrunching. “I apologize Linda, but I’m not feeling very hungry. Perhaps we can take a rain check on lunch today.”

 

\----

 

The next day, Lena walked past her desk without stopping. Linda didn’t hear anyone with Lena. Nor did she hear the movement of bags, the crunch of food or the unwrapping of plastic wrap. She spent lunch alone without eating.

“Hello, Miss Luthor,” Linda said. 

She stood in front of her desk, in the back of the lab past the centrifuges. Lena looked up from her computer. Sometime during the afternoon, her glasses slipped down her nose. Her sclera was pale pink from exhaustion, making her green eyes pop in contrast.

“Linda. You know you can call me Lena when we’re off the clock,” Lena said. She took off her glasses and rubbed at her eyes.

“Lena.” Linda’s face scrunched, a delighted smile creeping up on her face. “Would you like to have lunch with me?”

Lena’s small smile died. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows furrowed. A battle waged inside her head, and Linda wished she could see inside.

“It is okay if you do not want to eat together,” Linda reassured her. “I bought the kale salad you like. You can eat it, and I will go back to my desk. But you should eat lunch.”

Linda set the brown paper bag on the desk, beside a thick stack of papers. She smiled gently at Lena and turned around to return to her workspace.

“Linda,” Lena called after her. Linda turned around. Lena half rose out of her chair, hands resting on her desk. “I have time for lunch. Would you like to join me?”

 

\----

 

They set their food on Lena’s pristine white desk. There were small changes from the last time she was here. A single flower sat on the corner in a slender, violet vase. Lena twisted the wand and blinds opened, allowing thin slats of watery sunlight into the office space.

“I’m sorry about earlier this week. I behaved unprofessionally, and I apologize for it.”

“It is alright,” Linda reassured. “You already apologized.”

“Still, it wasn’t my finest moment.” She said, giving Linda a wry smile. “Lex is a sensitive topic for me. I wasn’t expecting him, and he got underneath my skin.”

She took her salad out of the brown paper bag, along with the prepackaged plastic fork and knife packet. She passed Linda her sandwich and chips.

“Did you know my brother was Lex Luthor?” Lena asked. 

“Yes. I recognized the surname and knew.”

“You never said anything. Everyone has an opinion about my family. When you said nothing, I believed you didn’t know. I’m unsure how famous we are in Kasnia.”

“Even Kasnia has heard of Lex Luthor,” Linda said. Memories of her time in Kasnia raced through her head before she pushed them back.

Some of her mood leaked out over her face because Lena looked concerned. Kara shook her head, clearing the cobwebs of Kasnia behind.

“You are Lena, a scientist for Spheerical Industries. That is how I know you..”

Lena’s face softened, and her eyes glistened in the light. “Thank you, Linda.”

They started to eat.

“I’m sure you have questions,” Lena said.

Linda hesitated. She looked over at Lena, who was staring determinedly at her salad.

“If your brother runs LuthorCorp, why do you work for Jack Spheer?” Linda asked. She removed the top slice of bread and placed her chips on top of the sandwich filling. She liked the way the chips crunched.

“As soon as I was old enough, my mother sent me to a prestigious boarding school in England. Outwardly, it was to ‘harness my potential’ but really it was to get me as far away as possible. I was the youngest one there, and I was lonely. Jack was the only one who didn’t treat me like an annoying child or a nuisance.” 

She imagined a young Lena, alone in a foreign country and felt profound sadness for her.

“I lost contact with Jack after he graduated. I went to work with Lex after graduating from college. I thought we were going to change the world.” Lena’s eyes were bright with the memories. “My brother wanted another sycophant. He didn’t want an equal. When I refused to be his yes woman, he kicked me out of the company.”

“But you are a Luthor! Is it not your-” Linda couldn’t think of the right word, not a duty, what was the word? It came to her in a flash “-birthright as well?”

“Mother is head of the board. Lex is her darling wonder child, destined to change the world, while I was always the black sheep. Removing me wasn’t hard.”

“That is not fair,” Linda blurted out. Lena looked sad and resigned, shrugging her shoulders.

“Jack called me soon after. He just started up in National City. I helped supply the capital, and that was that. As the company grew, Jack’s role turned more corporate, but I stayed down here in the trenches. We wanted to cure cancer. We haven’t accomplished that yet, but we are helping people.” Lena rubbed at her eyes. “Lex is brilliant- he’s always been brilliant- but he’s amoral. He’s more interested in creating bioweapons than researching cures. He’s interested in power, no matter who he has to bowl over to get it. I can’t do that. I couldn’t do that.”

Linda set aside her sandwich and wiped her hands on a paper napkin. She rested her hands on top of Lena’s, staring into her eyes. “You are not your brother. You are doing good work and are helping people. Are you happy?”

Lena paused, thinking. “I enjoy the science and the challenge. I believe we are changing the world, one small step at a time. Yes, I am happy.”

“I am glad.” Linda smiled, and Lena smiled back. “There is a lot of joy in helping people.”

 

\----

 

“Do you miss Kasnia?” Lena asks

They’re examining blood slides. The lab around them is a hub of activity, and the action around them creates a wall of sound that seemed to separate them from the rest of the lab. Despite working there for a few months, Linda hadn’t shared about her past and Lena hadn’t pushed. Before now. It’s so random that it takes Linda aback.

She pulls back from the electron microscope. “Why?” She asks, brow furrowing.

“I would like to know more about you,” Lena said. “You know about me, but I haven’t asked about you. It’s been selfish of me.”

Linda nodded, accepting the answer. She wanted to know Lena better, and from everything she’d read and seen on TV, friendship was a give and take. She needed to give some of herself.

“Kasnia was…” Linda paused, unsure exactly what to say. What could she say?  _ The Multiverse theory is real. I am a genetically identical copy of Kara Zor-El of Krypton, from a different Earth in the Multiverse. The Kasnian government found me and Lex Luthor molded me into a weapon to use against Supergirl. I have killed people and I have seen people killed. _ Linda cleared her throat and tried to start again. “Kasnia was home until it was not.”

Lena’s brows creased close together, wheels turning inside her head, but she didn’t pry. It made Linda feel better about talking.

“I enjoyed my surroundings most. I miss standing in the forest with the sun on my face. It was so peaceful. I miss that peace. But I enjoy my life here, more than I thought I would.”

“It’s no Kasnia, but a few miles upstate there’s a hiking path overlooking Shuster National Park. It’s beautiful during the springtime.”

“I’ve never been hiking,” Linda murmured. “I wouldn’t know what to do or how to do it. You could show me.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “I haven’t hiked since college. I’m not meant to be the outdoors type. The outdoors and Luthors don't mix.”

“I think you would do well,” Linda said. Her eyes traced up and down Lena’s legs, before quickly darting away. She felt her face warming. “It would be fun.”

“I hope you don’t mind waiting for me to catch up on the trail. Or from tumbling into poison ivy. Or saving me from a Luthor hating wild cougar.”

Linda fought back the smile creeping up her face. “I’ll protect you.”

 

\----

 

Linda spent more and more time with Lena outside the workplace. Lena made her happy and strange fluttering stir up in her stomach. That Saturday they went to try something called Kombucha. 

They sat in the back corner of a strange smelling, dimly lit “cafe” that more resembled a bar. Their booth was out of the way and offered them some measure of privacy. It was intimate, and Linda would enjoy it, except for the disgusting  _ thing _ sitting on the table in front of her.

“I do not understand why you wish to drink this,” Linda said, nose upturned at the horrible smell wafting from the cup in front of her. Lena turned her body in the booth to better face Linda.

“It’s healthy,” Lena said.

“It is tea fungus.”

“It’s  _ probiotic _ . Admittedly, we need to research the benefits in greater detail. However, in moderation, I believe the benefits outweigh potential risks, provided healthy gut flora isn’t compromised. Look at our research into-”

Lena’s face flushed with excitement and with the adrenaline that came from talking about something she cared about. In the dim light of the Kombucha bar, Linda finds Lena most beautiful. Linda rests her head on her hand, content to watch her.

Somehow Kombucha morphed back to their research. “- there has to be a way to supplement the white blood cell count with the nanobots, but controlling the swarm is proving problematic-”

Linda hears the words, but half her mind focuses on the way Lena’s lips move around the words, the way her teeth dig into her bottom lip when she pauses for thought. The strange feeling inside Linda’s stomach twists and twists. 

Lena finishes her thought and smiles happily at Linda. Slowly the smile fades off her face. The patrons of the bar disappear. Lena’s heart rate skyrockets, her pupils dilate, and her breathing grows shallow and choppy.

Without thinking, she leans forward. “May I kiss you?” she asks.

Lena blinks rapidly, some of the fog leaving her eyes. “Pardon?”

“I want to feel what it is like to kiss you.”

Lena is nodding, and Linda is gently, very gently, but so eagerly, pressing forward.

Lena’s lips were soft and warm. She felt the wax from Lena’s matte lipstick sticking to hers. However, once she successfully kissed Lena, she wasn’t sure what to do next.

Lena, sending her hesitation, gently reached her hands up, resting her fingertips on Linda’s jaw. She tilted her head, and their lips slotted together easier. Linda lets out a small gasp of breath. The sensation was addictive. Lena’s skin was warm through her shirt, her lips were soft under hers, and she smelled so good. The sensations jumped through her like lightning, racing through every nerve ending.

She felt something warm and wet pass over her lips, and she pulled back surprised.

Lena blinked rapidly, focusing on Linda’s blue eyes. Her green eyes were almost completely black, the green barely visible. A small smile curled up at the corner of her mouth. She brought her thumb to the edges of Linda’s lips, swiping at them. “Lipstick,” she explained.

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Linda admitted. She whispered so not to break the spell in the air.

“You did well,” Lena said. “I never would have known.”

Some of the lightness left her face.  “I like you, Linda.” Lena scooted back along the length of the booth seat, and Linda felt cold. 

“I like you too!” Linda rushed out. She felt over anxious and overeager, intent to return back to Lena’s warmth. Lena extended a hand, keeping them separate.

“But I am your boss. This-” she gestured between them, “-is inappropriate.”

Linda’s mouth dropped open, and she started stuttering. “I-”

“I like you, Linda, but I am not willing to compromise our integrity and therefore our research. It’s too important,” Lena rushed out. 

“I understand,” Linda said softly. “If you were not above me, things would be different, yes?”

At her confirmation, Linda nodded, showing she understood. She bit back the rising swell of hurt inside her chest. “I respect your decision. We’ll still be friends, right?” she asked.

“I’ll always be your friend,” Lena reassured her. “Always.”

 

\----

 

A portal opened up in her living room while Linda prepared dinner. Kara Danvers stepped out. Her hair was twisted back in an updo, glasses in place, and wearing a cream-colored blazer. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited you in a while,” she said. Kara sat down at her dining room table without asking. “Things haven’t been great back home.”

Linda set the stove to low heat and left the soup to simmer. Kara’s glasses are now off and on the scrubbed wood table. It’s impossible to get a headache in a planet with a yellow sun, but she’s rubbing at her eyes like she’s fighting a migraine. “What happened?” Linda asked, curious despite herself. She sits opposite Kara Danvers.

“Lena knows,” Kara muttered.

“Knows what?”

“She knows I’ve been lying to her. She knows Kara Danvers is Supergirl. She’s so angry. Hurt. I didn’t want to hurt her.”

Linda felt protectiveness swell inside her for Lena. “But you did hurt her. Intentions do not negate the consequences of our actions.”

“I didn’t come here to unload my problems on you,” Kara said, waving her hands. “Tell me how things have been for you? How have you been?”

“I have been well,” Linda said. Lena popped into Linda’s head, and she had to fight back the urge to talk about her. “I enjoy my work.”

“You’re working as a scientist,” Kara said softly. “On Krypton, I was going to be the youngest member of the Science Guild. It’s nice.” Silence sat between them.

Linda’s ears picked up the subtle bubbling from the pot. She quickly stood and moved back over to her food, stirring it on the stovetop.

“You really are adapting well,” Kara said, both eyebrows raised.

“You expected me to fail,” Linda said, flatly.

“No. I thought you would be more like me. I’d be a mess without- without everyone.” Without Alex went unsaid. “You’re brave. It’s weird to say because we’re technically the same person, but I’m proud of you.”

Linda swallowed heavily, feeling a strange burn in her eyes, not unlike her heat vision. “Thank you.”

Kara wasn’t looking at her. She was looking at her end table, where Linda put a framed picture of her and Lena at Centennial Park. “You know Lena well?”

Linda smiled, now looking at the picture as well. “Yes. I kissed her.”

Kara choked. She coughed and spluttered, face turning red. 

“Are you alright?” Linda asked, concern for the other Kryptonian creeping in.

“You kissed Lena,” Kara clarified. Linda nodded, not seeing the confusion. “Why?”

“You wrote it in your diary: Lena is good, and Lena is kind. My Lena is the same. Why wouldn’t I kiss her?”

Something strange was happening on Kara Danvers’ face. She looked down; eyebrows scrunched together before looking back up at Linda. “Uh, so, are you dating now?” She crossed her arms across her chest, scowling lightly.

“No. Lena is my superior. She worries she is taking advantage of me.” She frowned. She turned off the stovetop. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“No, I need to get back.” Kara stood and lingered. “So, uh. Do you like Lena or are you interested in her because of what I wrote in my diary?” Kara asked. 

“I feel happier when I see her. She is the first person I want to see every day. She is my favorite person, and I cannot imagine my days without her. I care about Lena because she is  _ Lena _ , not because of anyone else. She makes me feel warm.” 

“But the other stuff you said: isn’t that just a best friend?” Kara asked. “That’s not romantic? Is that romantic?”

Linda just stared at her.  _ Was that an honest question?  _ She searched Kara’s face for any guile and found none, just genuine confusion. “That is more than best friends.”

A proverbial storm cloud passed over Kara’s face. “I’m glad. I’m happy for you. I don’t know what I’d do without Lena.” 

Something clicked in Kara Danvers’ head. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at Linda. “I like Lena.”

“Yes.” Linda paused, brow furrowing as she decided to offer Kara some comfort.

“Lena is good. She cares, and she will heal, in time.”

“You think so?” She asked, hopefully.

“I know so,” Linda said. She allowed the certainty in Lena to fill her voice. “I know her. And so do you.”

\----

 

Work continued as normal. She continued to work side by side with Lena. Something lingered between them. It was an unspoken charge, like static electricity or the air before a storm. 

Lena’s boundaries sat between them, but the knowledge of who Linda really is sat heavily with her as well. She didn’t want to repeat Kara Danvers’ mistakes.

They were in a holding pattern, unable to move forward but unable to go back to the way things were before.

\----

 

Linda knocked once before stepping through the door.

“Linda, please come in.”

“Hello, Mr. Spheer.”

She entered the office. A large mahogany table took up the most space, with a large window behind him bringing in lots of natural light. This side of the building offered a view of the park in the distance and a good view of the city. Framed degrees hung from the walls, along with posed photographs with influential people. 

Jack stood up and moved around his desk to shake her hand.

Jack walked back around the table, sitting down. He gestured at a chair in front of his workspace for her to sit as well. Linda followed the unspoken prompt.

“You wished to see me?” Linda asked.

“Yes, yes.” He straightened a portfolio on his desk. “It’s been a year since you joined Spheerical.”

“A year and two months,” Linda answered.

“A year and two months,” Jack agreed. “During that time, you’ve been an asset to your team.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve been reviewing your reports, and I’m very impressed. I like your insights into nanobots and carcinogens. Spheerical is looking to invest more resources. I wanted to put you on a different team. Do you know Doctor Wu? She heads it. You’d work side by side with Lena’s group, with a focus on supporting in place biological systems-”

Jack explained in greater detail her expanded role ( _ this is a promotion, Linda _ ), and Linda listened, but her mind raced. One thing stuck out in bold, bright letters inside her head: Lena was no longer her boss.

Jack looked at her with knowing eyes. “I’ve known Lena for a long time. She’s been happier than I’ve seen her in years.” Linda swallowed heavily. It hadn’t occurred to her that Jack was still Lena’s friend, and he probably knew about their conversation, about their stalled relationship status. Jack didn’t say anything about it,  just smiled at her. “This promotion is well deserved. Congratulations.”

 

\----

 

The front door swung open, revealing a concerned Lena.

“Linda, what’s wrong? Your text sounded urgent,” she said, ushering her inside her apartment. Linda had escorted Lena home many times but had not been inside her apartment before. It reminded Linda of her own: neutral tones and wood accents. Another way they were linked.

“I needed to speak with you, but I did not mean to worry you.” 

Lena was still wearing her floral button up from work, but she had on star covered pajama bottoms instead of her work slacks. The clashing patterns brought a smile to her face.

“I’m always worried; Luthors have a predisposition to drinking and anxiety,” Lena joked. She flashed a quick smile at Linda, sending her stomach somersaulting. She held up her full wine glass. “Speaking of which, I was just drinking dinner. Would you like a drink?”

“You need to eat something,” Linda scolded. She frowned at Lena, who was doing a poor job looking contrite. “Food, not alcohol.”

“If you’re staying I’ll order in,” she said.

“Will you eat?” Linda questioned, eyebrow raised.

“I will, I promise, now tell me why you’re here, not that I’m not happy to see you, of course.”

“I wanted to tell you something,” Linda said. Now the moment was on her; her tongue felt too big for her mouth.

“I know things have been...different between us, but you can tell me anything, Linda.”

“I was promoted.”

“That’s great news. Congratulations.” Lena smiled her wide smile where her top gums showed. “It’s well deserved.”

“Thank you,” Linda said. She stepped closer to Lena. “I start tomorrow.”

Lena reflexively stepped back, creating distance between them. Linda grasped Lena’s hand, halting her retreat while still giving her space.

“I wanted to ask you to dinner,” Linda said. “As a date.”

Lena froze. She reminded Linda of a deer in the forest, skittish and jumpy.

“You are not my superior anymore,” Linda said. “There are things I must tell you before anything were to happen, because I don’t want secrets between us, but I like you very much, Lena Luthor.”

“You might not like me so much after you date me. Are you sure?”

“I liked you from the moment I saw you. You didn’t laugh at me, even though I stumbled over my words. You are kind, brilliant, and have a beautiful soul.”

“I’m a Luthor.”

“You are Lena. And I am Linda. That is all that matters.”

This time, when Lena kissed her, Linda knew what to do. The low rumbling of Linda’s stomach broke them apart.

“I really am hungry though, so can we order the food, please?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, drop a comment. If you hated it, drop a comment. If you think I should give up writing and live in a yurt without internet access, also let me know.


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